


Almost unreal

by StormXPadme



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Paranormal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-12
Updated: 2013-03-12
Packaged: 2017-12-05 03:24:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/718314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormXPadme/pseuds/StormXPadme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doing an observation mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., Clint and Natasha move into a small cabin in the middle of the Canadian woods. Shortly after their arrival, spooky occurrences start to disturb their sleep. Ghosts are for children, of course. It’s only a matter of time to they find the cause for these abnormalities. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Almost unreal

**Author's Note:**

> title: The Avengers: ALMOST UNREAL  
> author: Storm{X}Padmé  
> disclaimer: All original characters and elements belong to Marvel, the legal owners and everyone paying for them. I’ll give them back, I promise, just borrowing them. I won’t hurt them… much.  
> universe: movieverse ‚The Avengers‘ only  
> timeline: shortly after the movie ‚The Avengers‘  
> summary: Doing an observation mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., Clint and Natasha move into a small cabin in the middle of the Canadian woods. Shortly after their arrival, spooky occurrences start to disturb their sleep. Ghosts are for children, of course. It’s only a matter of time to they find the cause for these abnormalities. Right?  
> formalities:  
> \- italics = memory, dreams or emphasis  
> \- ‚ ‚-marks = thoughts, telepathy or indirect speech  
> feedback:  is not only appreciated but hugged, petted, caressed and called George :D

**_The Avengers  
ALMOST UNREAL_ **

****  
__  


**”T** ell you what, red, this is nothing more than a soak hunter off job going for some deer.”  
Clint leaned back against the raised stand’s railing, wincing slightly when he tilted his head from side to side. The past hours of lying still had taken their toll.

“Unlikely but I’ll wager a pint of Viche Pitia. Until we know for sure, keep your eyes open anyway.”  
But Natasha was relieved to finally sit up straight herself when a short notification on her mobile display confirmed that the Beta team on the other side of the hill had arrived on their watch post. If today was an indication for the course of this so-called mission, she’d soon share Clint’s overwhelming enthusiasm.  
Still… There was something strangely calming about this observation in the middle of the Canadian nowhere. Ever since their arrival she felt a pressure lightening that hat dampened her spirits ever since New York.  
Natasha would never have admitted it in that rather noisy discussion in Nick’s office but… An operation like this for just the two of them, with not much trouble to expect and no one to bother around… That was maybe just what they needed.  
“Alright, we’re off. Clean up the mess, Barton.” Breathing a sigh of relief she slid over to the wooden ladder, taking the first steps down to the encrusted trail that lead to their accommodation.

Clint kept her waiting for another moment, still busy with plugging his jacket, empty cookie dough wrappings, his field glasses and his Nintendo into his backpack. They had been here only half a day and he had already started nesting in that current base of theirs, a behavior so familiar that the shadow of concern on Natasha’s heart troubling her ever since New York continued to clear away.  
It was getting better. He did not talk about the last weeks, the rehab he had been through to be re-classified for the field but it seemed to have been good for something, at least. When Clint caught her watching, he answered with a small grin. Not exactly the infectious laughter he used to cheer her up with before all this mess, but it was something.  
“Gonna be stuck here for a while, huh?”

“Could be worse. You’d rather rebuild the Stark Tower while keeping Tony and Steve from killing each other?”  
Natasha glided down the last steps in a smooth movement, barely touching them while keeping an eye on the treetops as well as on any movements in the thick bushes. Nothing. Whatever supposed weapon experiments had been reported in this area lately, for now there was no sign of it.  
Only when they reached the entrance to their quarters, nearly invisibly between the huge roots of some the highest trees around, Natasha paused for a moment, frowning. “Cover’s off.”

“Wind probably blew it away. We’ll secure it better tomorrow.”  
But Clint kept his hand close to his thigh just like her anyway, acting on years of training and intuition that had saved their lives more than once.  
Another rush of relief washed over Natasha. Clint had indeed seemed off for quite a while after the battle with the Chitauri, but apparently Nick had been right to approve his return. Being back in action seemed to help, even if it was just a meaningless excursion like this. Kneeling between the thick branches that marked their door, listening inside for any sign of an intruder, probably already was the most exciting thing to happen for a while.  
Of course there was none, only the quiet hum of the generator in the storeroom and the dull buzz of the neon lights turned on when they entered.  
Clint made sure the artificial layer of moss and branches stuck better to the wooden frame this time before locking the door, throwing his bag into the next corner.  
“What?”

“Just making sure.”  
Natasha strolled through the scantily furnished rooms not once but twice, unconsciously furrowing her brows, fighting a restlessness she couldn’t quite get her hands on.  
“I _did_ secure the cover when we left, you know. And there wasn’t even a slight breeze.  
Nope, nothing missing or changed.”  
She waved Clint’s quizzically glance aside. Maybe she had been a bit careless after all when disguising their little luxury suite, distracted by the reassurance of not having to fight for her life for some time for a change. “Probably nothing.”

“You should be getting more sleep, red. You’re starting to get twitchy.”  
Clint left his jacket lying where it fell, not caring about the thin layer of snow wetting the rug. Here was another petty sweet memory of the time before the world had gone down the drain, Natasha staring at him with narrow eyes until he got his ass off the sofa again to hang the damn thing up. He even did it with that charmingly rueful smile of his. It was only because they felt so deeply for each other, something that was not friendship only and had nothing to do with something childish as love, that they hadn’t killed each other through all of these years sharing a room.

“Didn’t feel much like sleeping lately.”  
Falling back into just this implicitness, Natasha used the time till Clint had put both of their gear where it belonged to get them something in the kitchen ready. The package said it had something to do with cereals, milk and cacao. It tasted the way, the grayish walls of this bunker looked.  
Natasha was tempted to ask again when she sat down, not close enough to provoke something she didn’t necessarily need right now. Clint had enough to struggle with, without that kind of complication between them.  
She began to speak a few times but let it be then, knowing how fast her partner could turn into a pufferfish when she pushed him. So she made do with watching him for now.

Surprisingly it was Clint collecting that not all the way casual remark of hers before he had emptied half of his plate. Maybe her silence told him enough, probably more than he wanted to know.  
“Why are we here, red?”

“You tell me. No one forced you to rush back to business like that.”  
Feeling even less hungry by the second, Natasha dropped her spoon in her bowl, startling at the rattle of metal hitting ceramic. Yeah, well, maybe her nerves _were_ on the edge since that goddamn alien incident.  
But it was not her who had been ordered a therapy. It was not that fiery crater that once had been a metropolis she had problems coping with, not really. It was not even the rest of self pity due to her own mistakes that kept her awake at night. She had spoken to Bruce several times. They were fine as far as she could tell with someone she knew so little.

Clint on the other hand she knew for more than ten years. She had thought to know everything about him.  
But that had been before his brain had been turned into a playground for some psychotic neglected child from another planet. There was something under that calmness and that stressed humor he kept from the mental reports and the bosses. Something that Natasha definitely did not want to become trouble once they would be back to far more serious missions.  
She needed his mind cleared for good, and this time a hit against the head probably would not do.  
“How long should I have waited?” Just a hint of bitterness surrounded his eyes, his lips reduced to a thin line. “Got an expertise on it? Spill it, I’m curious. Or just let it be.”

“I can’t, so better get used to it”, she said softly, reaching out for his hand that was shaking with rapidly growing aggression and startled when he backed off before she could make skin contact.

“I’m done with talking this over, Nat. If you’ve brought me here to file another report for the file ‘Hawkeye’, better say it right away. It was Nick who wanted me back, as you damn well know. If this is some kind of cheap game of theirs, I’m out. I’m not anyone’s lab rat.”

“Yeah. Right. Leave your paranoia on the sickbay next time. And while you’re on it, go fuck yourself, Barton.”  
More angry because of a hasty and dramatic reproach than she should be, Natasha went back to the kitchen, trying to regain her composure before that bowl ended up being thrown to Clint’s goddamn thick head after all. She had decided just a moment ago it wouldn’t do this time.  
Though it would have been very satisfying, she was aware enough of the rough times the aftermath of New York had put her partner through. And yeah, she had dived into interrogations more artful before.  
They were both exhausted, wound up and still quite a bit confused from so many things they just couldn’t control, that was the truth. She couldn’t expect to help anybody while she was still trying to get on her feet herself.  
Lost in thought she heard Clint’s silent footsteps only approach a moment before he touched her shoulder. She drew back her elbow just in time before another lifelong instinct could kick in, leaving the reminder of her not being too fond of behind approached from behind on one or two ribs.  
“Sorry.”

“Yeah. Just… not now, okay? Just trying to fall back into reality here, really.”  
Clint’s strong arms hugging her from behind, that was comfort they hadn’t even been able to share for a while.

Despite her reluctance to let something like this happen just a few moments earlier Natasha couldn’t help but enjoy it, relax back in a feeling of closeness that had never failed to ground her, whenever a mission had gone downhill. It wouldn’t be enough, not this time. But a soft shiver down her spine, a deep breath of comfort in her lungs when Clint’s breath ghosted over her neck, made her realize it could be a beginning. This was what they still had.

“Tash’?”  
When she turned to face him, her body close to his, there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice she had never heard before. Not about this. She didn’t like it. “You sure…?”

“Just… trying to fall back into reality.”

Her fingertips came to rest on his lips, brushed the last of doubt away, the pain of something that had always been Loki’s plan, not Clint’s. There had only been this one time when Clint had deliberately tried to hurt her, and even then it hadn’t been _him_. There was nothing to talk, to be concerned about. At least not inside their bedroom.  
Or on the kitchen counter, for that matter. Whatever coherent thought might have been left on her mind got drowned in a cloud of adrenaline with Clint’s lips moving over her fingertips, followed by just a short lick that made her gasp.

Her mouth crushed on his before she could think about it any further, her other hand moving down his body, firmly grabbing the tight flesh of his perfectly shaped ass.

That grunt of his sounded exceptionally hot, all free from any make-believe this time, just a pure feeling of something they had both missed. His tongue hungrily attacked her mouth, teasing her with a rhythm of pushing inside her while his hands started caressing her thighs, lifting her up in an instant, sitting her down on the counter. Pressed against him closely she could feel what the casual movement of her hip against his had done to him already.  
Not bothering with undressing her in a room that wasn’t heated too well, Clint shoved her pullover and her shirt up her body, cupping her breasts softly enough to make her move against him, demanding more. Her soft moan vibrated in their kiss when his rough fingertips slid inside her bra, teasing her nipples to full hardness, then twisting hard till she leaned her head back, stifling a quiet scream of lust.  
As if he’d only waited for her to break the kiss, Clint lowered his head to her half exposed breasts immediately, his tongue darting forward, teasing the slightly reddened skin till she ground her hip against his, her legs tightly slung around his. His strong hands continued stroking her skin, her waist, down her trousers to cup her ass as much as her position would allow him to, but it did not satisfy, not fulfill enough, not now. That was for later, for the bed.  
Busy with the buttons of her jeans already, Clint’s trembling hand nearly ripped it open when Natasha pushed hers between their heated bodies, tracing the lines of his muscles along the seam of his shirt and repeating his actions then. He was maddening hard to her touch, dripping with the increasing lust of the moment.  
Growling softly without stopping sucking on one of her nipples, Clint patted her hand away, sweat glistening on his forehead, his bluish-brown eyes darkened with lust when he raised his head, a sly grin on his lips before he bit down hard on her sensitive skin, drawing another of these screams of ecstasy from her.

Shivering with any of his efforts Natasha gave in to passivity for now, lifting her hip enough so Clint could slide both jeans and panties down her legs. She was still busy toeing them off when his hand slowly followed the side of her bare thigh upwards.

With her legs spread widely for him, he made her wait just a few seconds too long before touching her, finally, his blunt fingertips teasing her moist folds.  
“Missed you, red.”  
Natasha wasn’t sure if she had really heard it or read it in Clint’s slightly flushed cheeks, his parted lips before they met hers once more, now her tongue attacking his, demanding, pleading. He was more than willing to submit, his fingertips finding her most sensitive spot easily and circling it slowly.

Too slowly. Luckily, when she pushed her hip forward, leaning against the cool surface of the tiles, her hands resting on the sideboard, he couldn’t stick to his favorite game. Natasha had her ways of playing her lover. Presenting her body to him just like the gift she was giving him in nights like this, was the easiest trick of all.

“Fuck, you’re hot like this.”  
This time he had said it aloud, with that husky tone that made her toes curl and her insides tingle, nothing of the strained look from before left on his face. Pulling her head close for another kiss, he started to nibble on her lower lip, turning her smile of relief into another expression of passion and want just as he slowly entered her, nothing more than one of his long fingers feeling her, exploring her tight wetness. It had been long for both of them.

Natasha was too busy doing that certain thing with her tongue to his sweet lips, to the sensitive line of his lower gum to say anything and answered with grinding against both his hand and his erection painfully caged in his trousers. Her hand clawed down in his short hair when another finger entered her, stretching her till her shortly faltering breath got even more shallow and rapid, her hip rocking back and forth to meet his movements.  
“Want you.” The moaning mess that once had been her voice was only a whisper against his ear, followed by her tongue tracing the lines and pushing inside when he didn’t react right away. “ _Now_!”

Clint was wise enough to swallow down a cocky comment about impatience, slowly withdrew from her instead, one uneasy hand fumbling with his belt and buttons while he brought his other to his mouth, slowly licking her juices off his skin, his eyes never leaving hers.

It was an offer she’d gladly accept… later. The burning of her inner muscles drove her crazy, the heat glistening on her neck, her breasts when he had finally made it to open that damn fastenings and she drew him close, with her legs firmly closed around his thighs. Natasha had never been happier that they didn’t need to talk about precautions being taken care off by default in jobs like theirs. She wasn’t sure she could have waited just another moment.  
She needed him, not only her body ached for him, closing around him tightly when he slowly pushed inside, taking her breath away for a moment. Her still worried mind needed to see this fondness and pleasure in his relaxed features, needed to feel him hugging her tightly against his body, trying to regain his breath for a second, his skin warm and wet against hers, his well known rough smell all around her with her face deeply buried in his neck.  
Natasha didn’t know or care who had started to move first, not standing the tension any longer, but soon she find herself sprawled flatly on the counter again, her legs clinging onto Clint’s hip tightly, writhing under his hands caressing her breasts along with his hard thrusts.  
God, she had missed this, being stretched like that, feeling his body move against her, his face worn by the lust he was feeling for her. It was something like home yet she was too impatient to enjoy it for a while longer, that aching burn too intensive, to overwhelming, too unsatisfied in an exciting but not perfect angle.  
Not trusting her voice she guided one of Clint’s hands down, something much more than a moan escaping her lips when he started circling her clit again, much harder and faster this time. It wasn’t more than a few moments till the heat inside her exploded, her muscles clamping around his throbbing cock, guiding him to his own release.  
Somewhere in the process Natasha had banged her hand but she only realized minutes later when Clint let go off her, stepping back so she could slide down the counter. A slight buzz inside her head reminded her of a little aching spot on the back of it. “Ouch.” She stifled a laugh when Clint eyed her with concern at once, leaving a short kiss on his lips before lazily straightening her clothes. “Bedroom next time.”

“ _Now_ you’re telling me”, he mumbled, pretending to complain. “However do you expect me to cook in here without not wanting to fuck the hell out of you?”

“Guess I’m on breakfast duty from now on”, Natasha answered dryly.

“Yeah? What about diner?”  
Clint stepped behind her, before she could leave to the bathroom, his lips tracing one of the marks he had left on her shoulder when he had come inside her.

Natasha fled from his arms quickly, not trusting a desire she just began to remember, closing the door behind her. “I’ll think about it.”


End file.
